Humanity And The Cost Of Living.
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Hiccup woke up slowly, the moss he slept on was spongy as always. Dawn was just beginning to break, it had been a fortnight since dragon and rider came to this land. Ayun and Free were the only other sentient beings he'd encountered. Ayun said he enjoyed the company after so long as a recluse.
Daily life had come to a comfortable routine. He and Toothless often went flying together, having long conversations with one another. Toothless had revealed himself as only two short years older than Hiccup. He also came to enjoy meditation with Ayun. It was an odd thing at first, it took some time to get used to it, but he found the process beneficial and calming to his mind.
Free had gradually come to speak to Hiccup beyond the bare necessities and the occasional insult, even paying him a compliment on his improvement with his speech. He'd even gotten the regal dragon to allow him to inspect him closer, adding him to the many species he'd discovered along his way. Free had been given the option to pick the name; Forest Wraith, on account of how his mottled scales allowed him to seamlessly fuse with the forest.
Stretching wide Hiccup yawned and sat up. He shivered as the cool morning air met his skin, his smallclothes and undershirt did little to insulate from the chill. Toothless lay nearby, still sleeping. Hiccup smiled gently, his eyes strangely vacant, but content.
Standing up he dressed solely in his tunic and pants, it would soon warm up anyway. Pulling a bit of parchment from his pack he wrote a few words for toothless. And so he went for a walk, no particular destination in mind.
After several hours of walking Hiccup paused and sat, the forest seemed to extend forever. He relaxed for an hour. Hunger was beginning to show itself, but it was a negligible feeling. As he sat back his hand brushed against something. Fumbling for a moment he picked it up and found a small flint knife in his hands. The men of Berk of course had neglected stone tools generations prior, but there were still a few antiques and ceremonial pieces here and there. Gobber had one in the forge, a reminder of where his craft had come from. Tucking it in his pocket Hiccup continued on his way.
As he walked Hiccup noticed the land was at a slope, it was gradual, but ever so slowly he climbed higher.
Another hour passed and he grew hungrier and the sun began to fall. Eventually he came to a clearing and realized where he was. This was a ravine he and Toothless had flown over. There was a deep flowing river at the bottom, filled with icy water. Subconsciously he had walked here. He sat down and enjoyed the sunset. Slowly the wind picked up as the sun truly left the horizon. The cold crept into the air, sending shivers up and down Hiccup's body. But still he sat in the open. By now he had dug up a small edible root Ayun had showed him. Gnawing on it wasn't much, but it dulled the hunger slightly. As the night progressed he began to cry softly. He was homesick and his heart still hurt with each beat. But he knew he couldn't go back to Berk, not now, maybe not ever.
Using the knife he carved Astrid's face in the bark of a birch, surprisingly it turned out well. She was smiling in his carving. Smiling like at the cliff in Berk.
"Gods be damned!" He shouted into the night air. "Why her." Huddling his legs close he cried once more. The first couple times he had wandered off Toothless invariably followed, note or not. Now, he had done it so many times Toothless let him have his privacy. But now more than ever he could use the company. Shivering and cold he sat until the sun peeked itself out over the horizon.
A solitary ray fell on him and the etching of Astrid. Suddenly, as if by an outside force, Hiccup stood. His muscles were stiff and his eyes red. Shuffling forward like a man struck by the blight of his great great grandfather's era. He stood staring over the ravine. Moving slowly, he brought the knife midway up his forearm dragging it down slowly the uneven edge tore rather than cut his arm. He saw it as though it wasn't happening, impassively he stood as blood poured down his arm. He switched hands and, much more shakily, slid the edge down his other arm. Already he felt light-headed. Leaning forward he toppled limply into the ravine, smiling on his way down. Berk was with a competent lead. And Toothless had someone Hiccup felt comfortable with leaving him to. He hit the water and the icy cold knocked the air from his lungs. From there was only darkness.
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Toothless woke as the sun crept through the trees. With a catlike motion he stretched his wings arcing out and in. He looked over to see Hiccup had not returned. Hiccup was always back by the next morning when he went for one of his walks.
Sudden worry came over him. Without hesitation he followed the day old scent Hiccup had left. Taking to the air to catch up. In mere minutes he covered the same distance Hiccup covered in hours. Suddenly he smelt blood. His eyes widened and with a roar he sped up as fast as his fixed tail flap allowed. He came upon a clearing he had flown over many times, Hiccups scent ended there. Toothless landed heavily and began to sniff around frantically. He came upon the fresh splatters of crimson at the edge of the cliff and realized what had happened. He lept into the ravine hoping and praying to any gods he could think of, dragons had no concept of gods but if anything could help, there was no sense in turning on it.
Hours seemed to pass as he followed the river. Every second stretching to an unbearable length. Suddenly he spotted something white along the gray of the river banks. He bolted down to find Hiccup. His lips were blue and his arms ragged, the bleeding having stopped from the cold waters. But somehow he was still breathing, if only slightly. Gingerly Toothless scooped up Hiccup and raced back to where he knew Ayun slept. His roar was followed by a scream to anyone that could feel his mind. "Help me!" Spotting a wisp of smoke from the forest he dived pulling Hiccup close and letting his body cushion the impact of nearly two tons of dragon slamming into the forest floor. Ayun was quick to appear.
"What has happened!?" "I don't know! Just help!"
Ayun looked down at Hiccup. "There's not much I can do, but I will try. After that it's all up to him. He has to have some will to live or anything I do will not help." "Do what you can!"
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Toothless waited until Ayun called him. He bolted forward and looked at Hiccup, his breathing was ragged and a small amount of color had returned to him. Cloth harvested from one of his shirts bandaged the wounds and a thick green paste showed on the edges. "What now?" Toothless asked.
"Now we wait. He has to be kept warm. I have to leave for some time, so I will leave that to you."
Free stalked out of the woods, his wings lay to his sides, an ornate saddle nestled behind them. His tail lashed side to side and his royal purple eyes were narrowed to slits. Making his voice out to Toothless as well he spoke with a quiet seriousness. "We are already late Ayun. There is a storm approaching and I want to be in the air before it reaches us."
Ayun replied in turn. "Yes yes, let us leave." He turned to Toothless. I" wish you luck, if you are gone when I return, know that I always will allow your return. Farewell for now."
Hopping into the saddle Ayun and Free departed with no time for questions. Toothless looked down at Hiccup and curled around him.
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AN: I'm much happier with this chapter now. Still could use work but whatever.
